By Richard Pagliaro | Sunday, March 1, 2026
Picture credit score: ATX Open Fb
Former gymnast Peyton Stearns navigated a demanding diploma of adverse to land a homecoming crown.
Stearns saved three set factors within the first set topping Taylor Townsend 7-6(8), 7-5 in tody’s all-American Austin remaining to seize her second title and first hard-court championship on the ATX Open.
4 years in the past, Stearns made historical past as the primary College of Texas participant to win the NCAA singles championship.
At this time, Stearns celebrated a triumphant title run a brief distance from the 40 Acres Campus flashing the Longhorns signal to an appreciative Austin crowd. Stearns served eight aces and transformed 4 of six break-point probabilities, together with the essential break for a 6-5 second-set lead.
Contesting her third remaining, Stearns received her first title since 2024 Rabat on purple clay and despatched a shout out to Longhorns nation afterward.
“It’s good for a Longhorn to lastly win this event, yeah it’s sort of good,” Stearns mentioned. “I need to congratulate Taylor. It’s not over. She’s bought doubles [final] so hopefully you’ll be able to stick round and watch her, she’s been superior.”
This was the primary all-American WTA singles remaining since WTA 1000 Wuhan final October when Coco Gauff beat Jessica Pegula to take the title.
Taking part in her first profession WTA singles remaining, wild card Townsend made quick impression.
It began with Townsend breaking to open after a seven-minute recreation and backing up the break for a 2-0 lead.
Settling in on serve, Stearns pumped an ace broad capping her strongest serve maintain for 2-3.
The left-handed Townsend tormented the Stearns’ two handed return, whipping the broad serve on the outset. Altering that sample, Townsend slid an ace down the T holding at love to increase to 4-1. By then, Townsend had received 9 of 10 first-serve factors.
The fourth-seeded Stearns answered, issuing her second straight love maintain for 3-4 after 36 minutes of play.
Serving at 3-5, Stearns denied two set factors—the primary with a physique serve and second when Townsend missed a backhand broad looking for the Texan’s backhand—earlier than closing a tough maintain with an ace and serve winner broad.
As Townsend stepped as much as serve for the primary set, the wind picked up and he or she tightened up significantly. For the primary time all day, Townsend misplaced the opening level of a serve recreation, sailed two forehands then double faulted to face triple break level. Pulling out the serve-and-volley, Townsend botched a routine volley, gift-wrapping a love break to Stearns.
From set level down, Stearns reeled off eight straight factors and pounded down one other ace holding for her first lead of the ultimate at 6-5.
Commanding the court docket at first of the tiebreaker, Stearns smacked two aces and a few forehand strikes incomes three set factors at 6-3.
Then, issues bought actually wild.
Townsend saved the primary set level with a serve down the T. On the second set level, Stearns had her opponent scrambling fully off the court docket and swooped in for a straightforward forehand solely to slap it into web. Townsend erased the third set level with a forehand down the road. On the fourth set level, Stearns was in prime place at web, however couldn’t address a low go and netted her forehand volley.
Successful a 14-shot rally gave Townsend a 3rd set level at 8-7. Credit score a gutsy Stearns for going all in on a large forehand that stung the baseline to put it aside. Townsend missed successive forehands as Stearns lastly closed a dramatic 73-minute opening set.
Energized by successful that robust opening set, Stearns confirmed urgency along with her footwork, usually dancing across the backhand to fireside her favored forehand.
Townsend despatched a drive deep then bungled a excessive volley broad as Stearns broke for a 3-2 second-set lead with a agency “come on!”
The Stearns forehand, her most formidable shot, didn’t maintain up as she tried to substantiate the break. Townsend coaxed a few errors to interrupt proper again within the sixth recreation.
Spreading the court docket with a sequence of line to line forehands, Stearns switched it up taking part in a shorter, decrease backhand to attract a netted response and break at 15 for 4-3.
The longest recreation of the match adopted with Townsend preventing off recreation factors earlier than cracking a menacing crosscourt return to finish a 19-point marathon recreation and break to degree after eight video games.
Eyes riveted on the ball, Stearns smacked her forehand with ambition firing a forehand down the road for break level within the eleventh recreation. When Townsend netted a backhand, Stearns scored her fourth break of the ultimate for 6-5.
A peaceful Stearns earned double championship level when Townsend whacked a wild broad forehand down the road. Stearns drew one remaining forehand miss to seal her second Tour-level title in two hours, 22 minutes.
